October 28, 2019

The Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Died In U.S. Raid, Trump Says <[link removed]>

“The ideological leader of Islamic State died in a U.S.-led raid in northwestern Syria, President Trump said Sunday, fulfilling a long-held U.S. goal and marking the most significant setback for the militant group since losing the last of its territorial caliphate earlier this year. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was 48 years old, killed himself and three children, detonating a suicide vest in a tunnel while being pursued by U.S. troops, Mr. Trump said. Considered Islamic State’s founder and inspirational leader, Baghdadi was responsible for its reign of terror as it amassed territory across Iraq and Syria in recent years. The group has displaced tens of thousands of people and perpetrated widespread barbarism, including rapes and video-recorded beheadings.”

CBS News: A “Victory:” Families Of Americans Killed By ISIS Respond To Al-Baghdadi's Death <[link removed]>

“The families of U.S. citizens who were murdered by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Sunday called his death a “victory.” Mr. Trump said in his address Sunday morning that ISIS “murder of innocent Americans Jim Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller were especially heinous.” President Trump announced al-Baghdadi's death at a press conference Sunday morning. During a special operation that resulted in U.S. forces pursuing al-Baghdadi and three of his children in a “dead-end tunnel,” the ISIS leader detonated a suicide vest. Al-Baghdadi has been accused of taking at least three U.S. civilians hostage and murdering them. According to the White House, the ISIS leader is responsible for more than 300 public beheadings and for killing thousands of captured prisoners of war.  White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement that Mr. Trump called family members of those killed by ISIS, but said they are keeping the details of the conversations private. The operation that resulted in al-Baghdadi's death was named in Kayla Mueller's honor.”

The New York Times: Likely Successor To Dead ISIS Leader Also Reported Killed <[link removed]>

“A day after an American raid killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a separate attack killed the man who was considered his likely successor, according to the leader of a Syrian Kurdish  militia and a Syrian activist. The spokesman, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, was being smuggled across northern Syria in the back of an oil tanker truck when it was hit by what witnesses said they believed to be an American airstrike, according to Hussein Nasser, an activist who said he had spoken to people at the scene. Mazlum Abdi, the head of a Kurdish-led militia that fought the Islamic State with the United States, wrote on Twitter that Mr. al-Muhajir had been killed on Sunday in an operation coordinated between his forces and the United States.”

CBS News: ISIS Leader Killed: CEP President Fran Townsend Discusses The Impact Of Of The Death Of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi On CBS This Morning <[link removed]>

“CBS News senior national security analyst Fran Townsend, who was a homeland security and counterterrorism adviser for President George W. Bush, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the significance of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death.”

NBC News: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting's Anniversary Shows What's Needed To Defeat White Terrorism <[link removed]>

“In Judaism, the anniversary of the death of a loved one is called a yahrzeit, and the first yahrzeit is a particularly important time to both mourn and reflect. A year ago Sunday, a white supremacist obsessed with an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory gunned down 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life, a Pittsburgh synagogue. On these victims’ yahrzeit, it behooves us to not only mourn their loss but also to ask whether we’ve ensured that their deaths weren’t in vain. In other words, in the 12 months since the largest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history, what has America done to combat the scourge of white terrorism? The unpalatable answer is almost nothing. There are multiple parallels between modern white supremacists and Islamist terrorists. The difference is that, after 9/11, the U.S. government enacted a wholesale overhaul of our national security apparatus. As a reminder, the Pittsburgh terrorist was motivated by more than mere anti-Semitism. The killer’s statements make it clear he was driven by white genocide theory: The notion that white-majority nations in Europe, America and Australasia are being turned into white-minority states via immigration. Many white genocide theory adherents, including the Pittsburgh terrorist, believe the immigration is being orchestrated by Jews.”

WTOP: ANALYSIS: Baghdadi’s Death Leaves Looming Questions About The Future Of ISIS <[link removed]>

“Fleeing from U.S. military canines in a dark subterranean tunnel in the northwestern Syrian village of Barisha, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi dragged young children with him — using them as human shields. Sensing his end was approaching, he detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and the children. Because he was so concerned about his security, he had little or no contact with the outside world. His end started well before he realized it. “We had him under surveillance for a couple of weeks,” said President Donald Trump during a Sunday morning news conference announcing the death. WTOP has learned that Iraqi authorities arrested two of Baghdadi’s wives in September, one of whom sometimes acted as a courier. A source told WTOP the courier gave up details about his location, which triggered the surveillance activity.”

The Wall Street Journal: Is 3-D Printing The Future Of Terrorism? <[link removed]>

“On Oct. 9, a gunman tried to massacre worshipers on Yom Kippur at a synagogue in Halle, Germany, and crossed a new threshold: It was the first time a terrorist perpetrated a deadly attack with homemade weapons using 3-D-printed components—including a 3-D-printed gun. Instead of the slaughter the gunman had hoped for, he killed two people—in part because he couldn’t get past a locked synagogue door, in part because what he called his “improvised guns” jammed or failed to fire. But the Halle attack shouldn’t be dismissed as a macabre flop. The killer was interested not just in murder but in inspiration. In an online manifesto that German authorities have confirmed he wrote, the gunman styled himself a pioneer on a trial run: He wanted to use emerging technologies to encourage subsequent terrorists to follow in his footsteps and perfect his tactics. His goal was what security experts call “proof of concept.”

United States

The Wall Street Journal: Tech Firms Ramp Up Lobbying As Antitrust Scrutiny Grows <[link removed]>

“Big Tech is hard to miss these days in Washington. So is its money. Lobbying expenditures by Facebook Inc., FB 0.81% Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -1.09% and Apple Inc. AAPL 1.23% are on pace to hit record highs this year. Facebook increased spending by nearly 25%, to $12.3 million, through the first nine months of the year over the same period in 2018, according to disclosures of lobbyists’ compensation filed with the federal government. Amazon notched a 16% jump in lobbying outlays, to $12.4 million, making it the top spender so far in 2019 among all companies, according to quarterly reports released last week. Apple boosted spending by 8% so far this year, and Microsoft Corp. by 9%.”

Associated Press: Trump Says US Forces Cornered IS Leader In Dead-End Tunnel <[link removed]>

“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most wanted man, died after U.S. special operators cornered him during a raid in Syria, President Donald Trump said Sunday. “Last night, the United States brought the world’s No. 1 terrorist leader to justice,” Trump announced at the White House, providing graphic details of al-Baghdadi’s final moments at the helm of the militant organization. “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.” In a national address, Trump described the nighttime airborne raid in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, with American special operations forces flying over heavily militarized territory controlled by multiple nations and forces. No U.S. troops were killed in the operation, Trump said.”

CNN: 'Ideology Does Not Die With Baghdadi': For US Law Enforcement, ISIS Threat Remains <[link removed]>

“While the announcement on Sunday of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been praised among a bipartisan group of elected US leaders, current and former law enforcement officials say the possible threat to the US homeland by ISIS sympathizers persists. Two senior US law enforcement officials tell CNN that agencies and police departments around the country remain on guard for any potential coordinated or lone-wolf attacks that could occur by individuals seeking to retaliate against the death of Baghdadi, who died Saturday evening during a raid in Syria by US special operations forces. The officials noted that although authorities remain on alert, there is currently no known specific or credible threat to public safety. Since the major rise of ISIS in 2014, federal law enforcement has dedicated significant resources to investigating sympathizers of the group and stopping plots inside the United States. Earlier this month, an FBI spokesperson told CNN that of the approximately 5,000 open international terrorism cases being investigated by the bureau, about 1,000 are on individuals associated with ISIS. Recent cases of thwarted plots include the arrest of Everitt Jameson, a 27-year-old former US Marine who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing material support to ISIS and attempting to conduct a Christmas holiday terrorist attack in San Francisco in 2017.”

CNN: One Year After Pittsburgh, Too Little Has Changed <[link removed]>

“One year ago, 11 Jewish Americans were massacred in a synagogue in Pittsburgh at the hands of a white supremacist. While the attack raised a national alarm about the rising danger of white supremacist extremism in the United States, it should have done more: It should have been a call to action. A year later, while some progress has been made to address the threat of white supremacist extremism, in too many places that call to action has been met with deafening silence. Just as we developed robust mechanisms to track and hinder foreign terrorists in the aftermath of 9/11, we need the same type of response today to address white-supremacist extremists and neo-Nazis. Since September 11, 2001, far more attacks have been undertaken by white supremacist extremists in the United States than foreign terrorists: Of the 85 violent extremist incidents that resulted in death between 2001 and 2017, domestic, white extremist groups were responsible for 73% of them. From Pittsburgh to Poway, California, where another synagogue was attacked this April, to Christchurch, New Zealand, where 51 Muslims were murdered at two mosques this March, to August's massacre at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, which claimed 22 lives, white-supremacist extremists appear to be increasingly emboldened, violent and connected -- in their online forums, their thinking and their tactics.”

The Independent: Texas Mass Shooting: Two Killed In Attack At University Homecoming Party In Greenville <[link removed]>

“Two people have been killed and at least a dozen injured in a mass shooting at a university homecoming party in Texas. Hundreds of students were gathered at The Party Venue in Greenville, near Dallas, to celebrate the start of a new term at Texas A&M Commerce College. With 750 people in the building, someone with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire. Graphic footage of the aftermath posted on social media showed several injured people on the ground inside the venue and dozens running away from the building. “We’ve got a bunch of walking wounded,” a Hunt County deputy said on the scanner, according to a WFAA reporter. The shooter was still at large several hours later. Deputies were already at the scene due to a parking complaint when they heard gunshots coming from the back of the building, chief deputy of Hunt County Sheriff’s Department, Buddy Oxford, told reporters. Three air ambulances took some victims to a trauma hospital, while others were taken to hospitals in Greenville, and neighbouring Quinlan and Commerce, officials told reporters at CBS‘ Dallas branch. No official information has been offered about the identity or whereabouts of the shooter. The FBI were also at the scene on Sunday morning, Mr Oxford said.”

Syria

Bloomberg: U.S. Strike On Al-Baghdadi Built On Weeks Of Syria Surveillance <[link removed]>

“Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was under surveillance for weeks and evaded “two or three” American strikes before blowing himself up as U.S. special forces stormed his northern Syrian hideout. As described in unusual detail by President Donald Trump on Sunday, the final moves to eliminate a man he described as the world’s most-wanted terrorist took shape while the president was at the Camp David presidential retreat Saturday morning, and ended with him and top officials following the raid via live video at the White House.”

Reuters: Syrian Kurdish Forces Say Leaving Turkish Border Area, Damascus Welcomes Move <[link removed]>

“The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday it had agreed to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, an announcement welcomed by Damascus which said Turkey should now end its “aggression” in northeast Syria. Turkey launched its cross-border offensive on Oct. 9 targeting Kurdish YPG forces in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump pulled U.S. troops out of the area. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin then agreed on Oct. 22 that Syrian border guards and Russian military police would clear the border area up to 30 km into Syria of YPG fighters over a six-day period that ends Tuesday. The YPG is the main component of the SDF and is viewed by Ankara as terrorists due to their links to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. But the SDF has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against Islamic State militants.”

The New York Times: ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Is Dead, Trump Says <[link removed]>

“President Trump announced on Sunday that a daring American commando raid in Syria this weekend culminated in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, after a five-year international manhunt, claiming a significant victory even as American forces are pulling out of the area. “Last night, the United States brought the world’s No. 1 terrorist leader to justice,” Mr. Trump said in an unusual morning nationally televised address from the White House. “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.” Mr. Trump said Mr. al-Baghdadi was chased to the end of an underground tunnel, “whimpering and crying and screaming all the way” as he was pursued by American military dogs. Accompanied by three children, Mr. al-Baghdadi then detonated a suicide vest, blowing up himself and the children, Mr. Trump said. The death of Mr. al-Baghdadi may be a signal moment in the generation-long war against terrorists as well as in Mr. Trump’s presidency, eliminating a ruthless enemy who beheaded American captives and at one time controlled a swath of the Middle East roughly the size of Britain. But terrorist leaders have been killed before without ending the war, and it remained unclear what effect his death would have on the Islamic State at a time it has already lost its territorial holdings.”

The Washington Post: The U.S. Kills An ISIS Leader. But Trump Is Giving The Group A New Lease On Life. <[link removed]>

“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was, as President Trump said, “a sick and depraved man,” so his removal from this earth is good news. The operation to kill him attests to the superlative skills of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command and, yes, the U.S. intelligence community. Our intelligence officers are, as Trump said Sunday, “great” professionals, not part of a deep state out to undermine him, as he so often suggests. This operation was no more Trump’s doing than the death of Osama bin Laden was President Barack Obama’s. (Trump tweet from 2012: “Stop congratulating Obama for killing Bin Laden. The Navy Seals killed Bin Laden.”) But both men approved the risky operations and can bask in their reflected glory. However, I have sat in too many U.S. military headquarters in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two decades listening to Special Operations officers announce “jackpots” — the killing or capture of “high value targets” — to imagine that any such success will translate into final victory over their organizations. To be sure, some terrorist and guerrilla groups that were already on the wane have suffered severe blows from the loss of their leaders. This was the case with the Philippine insurrectos fighting U.S. rule when the rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo was captured in 1901 and with the Shining Path in Peru when its leader Abimael Guzman was captured in 1992.”

CNN: Analysis: Death Of Baghdadi Leaves ISIS With No Obvious Successor <[link removed]>

“The killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a US raid in northwestern Syria Saturday night is a blow against the terrorist organization. While ISIS may have a succession plan in place it is likely only known to a very small number of the organization's senior leadership. The group has not publicly signaled who will take over. This means that whoever succeeds Baghdadi may have very little name recognition amongst jihadis worldwide. This may challenge ISIS' ability to inspire global terror. In removing Baghdadi from the battlefield, the United States has neutralized the threat from a man who was both ruthless and highly adept in running a clandestine terrorist organization. After he took over the leadership in 2010 of what was then-called the Islamic State of Iraq, Baghdadi rebuilt the group into a force that just a few years later took control of vast swathes of Syria and Iraq. In announcing the death of Baghdadi, President Donald Trump declared he was the “world's number one terrorist leader.” But for ISIS and its tens of thousands of followers globally, he was much more than that. Ever since Baghdadi was publicly presented as “caliph” by the group in the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul in July 2014, his followers have held him to be the supreme political and spiritual leader of all Muslims worldwide.”

Reuters: Factbox: Islamic State Still Dangerous Despite Baghdadi's Death <[link removed]>

“The killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a U.S. raid is a further blow to a jihadist group that once held a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria, experts said, but the organization and its ideology remain dangerous. Where once they confronted armies, the extremist Islamist group’s adherents have in recent years staged hit-and-run and suicide attacks. In some cases, the group has claimed responsibility for atrocities such as bombings in Sri Lanka in April that killed more than 250 people. Islamic State’s involvement is not always proven, but even if the link is ideological rather than operational, it is still seen as a security threat in many countries: After defeat by U.S.-backed forces, Islamic State has reverted to the guerrilla tactics it was once known for. Iraqi Security Forces routinely carry out operations against remnants of the Jihadist group, more than two years after its defeat. Sleeper cells have regrouped in provinces including Diyala, Salahuddin, Anbar, Kirkuk and Nineveh, where they have carried out frequent attacks, including kidnappings and bombings aimed at undermining the Baghdad government.”

Reuters: Bodies Of Three Men, Three Women Found At Scene Of Attack Targeting Baghdadi: Jihadist Source <[link removed]>

“The bodies of three men and three women were found at the scene of an attack targeting Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whose body was taken away by attacking U.S. forces, a commander with a jihadist group in the area said. The commander said a second body, believed to be that Baghdadi’s deputy, was also removed by the attacking forces in the northwestern Idlib region of Syria. (This story corrects to show commander saying purported body of Baghdadi not found with others but believed to be taken away by attacking forces)”

Fox News: Imprisoned ISIS Fighters Want Forgiveness, But Is Anyone Willing To Give It? <[link removed]>

“Northern Syria has become a geopolitical cauldron -- Syrians, Russians, Kurds, Iranians, Turks and now the U.S. back in to compete for influence. Amid this, the cease-fire is hanging by a thread, with violations taking place up and down the border, and all sides trying to cement their gains or contain their losses. Stuck in the middle are the Islamic State (ISIS) prisons and camps – holding 14,000 ISIS fighters and more than 70,000 ISIS family members – women and children who can be equally dangerous. Fox News was granted exclusive access to a prison holding foreign fighters. What we found was a facility desperately understaffed – with its 5,000 fighters but hardly any guards. The camp authorities told us half of them had been sent to try and hold back the Turkish invasion.  They’ve asked for Western help, but many European countries, won’t take their prisoners back -- instead they’ve stripped them of citizenship and left the Kurds to deal with them. It’s a dire situation and one which could easily allow ISIS to re-form. Already there are sleeper cells in the region, which keep trying to break them out using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices to blow holes in the prison walls. 100 are thought to still be at large, after a series of jailbreaks.”

Foreign Policy: In Syria, The Women And Children Of ISIS Have Been Forgotten <[link removed]>

“This month, President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria and, in doing so, gave the green light to a Turkish incursion. In the chaos that ensued, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—which had until that moment been the United States’ chief ally in degrading and destroying the Islamic State in Syria—warned that its ability to protect the prisons and camps into which it had funneled tens of thousands of individuals in recent months—many of them Islamic State fighters, families, and supporters—had been critically undermined.  The consecutive breakouts from a detention center near Qamishli, the departure of almost 800 women and minors from an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp just outside Ain Issa, and the most recent escape of more than 100 Islamic State prisoners during the Turkish incursion indicate that this was not just rhetoric. When considered in the context of the call by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to free the men, women, and children of the group’s so-called caliphate in September, the urgency of this situation becomes all the more apparent.”

The Hill: Thornberry Says There Were Signs Of Al Qaeda And ISIS Cooperation In Syria <[link removed]>

“The top GOP representative on the House Armed Services Committee said the location of the raid that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi could indicate some cooperation between ISIS and al Qaeda. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that some people expressed surprise that al-Baghdadi was found near the town of Barisha in Syria because al Qaeda was known to be present in that area. He said it’s possible the two terrorist organizations worked together. “What happens in some places is terrorist organizations that you think are rivals can actually cooperate in certain situations,” he said. “Is that what happened here or you suspect it?” host Jake Tapper asked Thornberry. “In that area, there were signs of al Qaeda and ISIS cooperating in a way we have not seen before,” the Republican representative responded. Thornberry said he brought up that the area was known for being friendly to al Qaeda “to highlight the danger of terrorism” and caution that the U.S. is not done dealing with threats from these groups. “We’re not done with this threat,” he said. “This is a big deal,” he added referring to al-Baghdadi ‘s death. “But we’ve got to keep the pressure on.”

Iran

The Wall Street Journal: Iran Looms Over Race To Lead U.N. Nuclear Agency <[link removed]>

“The United Nations’ atomic agency is seeking a new leader in an increasingly tight competition overshadowed by Iran’s nuclear activities. On Monday, members of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board will try to pick a new director general from a field recently narrowed to two candidates. They are unlikely to succeed, diplomats say, in part because of disagreements over the agency’s approach to Iran. One contender, Romanian Cornel Feruta, appears to represent a continuation of the deliberate, careful approach of former director general Yukiya Amano, who died in July. The other, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, also a former top IAEA official, wants to shake up the agency a bit, including through a “firm but fair” approach to Iran, he said.”

Arab News: No Let-Up In Iran’s Foreign Terror Operations <[link removed]>

“In spite of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy on the Iranian regime, it is showing no signs of backing off from its belligerent policies and destructive behavior. One of the core pillars of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy is developing terror cells in foreign nations in order to wield influence and silence oppositional figures and groups. Most recently, the Albanian General Police Director Ardi Veliu last week revealedthat an active cell of the foreign operations unit linked to the Iranian Quds Force had been detected by Albania’s security institutions. He said: “The Albanian authorities have identified these individuals and, thanks to intelligence from informants inside the criminal organizations, have prevented the planned (attack) of March 2018 and the eventual planning of attacks by organized crime members... on behalf of Iran.” The Quds Force is an elite branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is in chargeof extraterritorial operations, such as organizing, supporting, training, arming and financing Iran’s militia groups; launching wars directly or indirectly via these proxies; fomenting unrest in other nations to advance Iran’s ideological and hegemonic interests; attacking and invading cities and countries; and assassinating foreign political figures and powerful Iranian dissidents worldwide.”

Iraq

Daily Sabah: Protests In Iraq Turn Into Anti-Iranian Demonstrations <[link removed]>

“The protests in Iraq, which started at the beginning of this month, have moved into a new direction. Starting as a protest against high unemployment rates, energy shortages and corruption, now, the protesters are chanting slogans against Iran and its proxies in the country. Several videos circulating on social media show that people are waiving Iraqi flags in front of Iranian Embassies and consulates not only in Baghdad but also in cities like Karbala, which is accepted as a holy site because the murdered grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Hussein, is buried there. Hundreds of people were killed in Iraq, mainly in Baghdad by security forces. Despite the promises of the Iraqi government to ameliorate the standard of living, the fight against corruption and increase job opportunities, people are unsatisfied and find the government unreliable.”

Reuters: Iraq Deploys Counter-Terrorism Forces To Protect Baghdad Buildings <[link removed]>

“Iraq’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service said on Sunday it had deployed in the streets of Baghdad upon Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s orders to protect important state buildings while security forces were busy with protests. “Counter-Terrorism Service forces have been deployed in some areas of Baghdad to protect state buildings from undisciplined elements taking advantage of security forces being busy with protecting protests and protesters,” it said in a statement. Two security sources had told Reuters on Saturday that the elite counter-terrorism forces had been deployed in Baghdad and had been told to “use all necessary measures” to end ongoing protests against Abdul Mahdi’s government.”

The Guardian: Iraq Clashes: At Least 15 Die As Counter-Terror Police Quell Protests <[link removed]>

“At least 15 more Iraqi protesters were killed on Saturday in clashes with security forces, as thousands took part in nationwide anti-government protests. Seeking to contain the spiralling violence on Saturday night, the prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, ordered members of the country’s elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) onto the streets of Baghdad and the southern city of Nasiriya. They were told to “use all necessary measures” to end the protests, security sources told Reuters. Around midnight, CTS troops took over checkpoints in neighbourhoods surrounding Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square and began driving protesters out. Security forces firing tear gas had earlier failed to clear the square of demonstrators. In Nasiriya, CTS soldiers broke up demonstrations by beating and arresting dozens, police and security sources said. The two cities, where thousands had turned out for a second day of protests, saw the bulk of Saturday’s violence as protesters continued to vent their frustration at political elites they say have failed to improve their lives after years of conflict and economic hardship. Four people were killed after being struck directly in the head by tear gas canisters fired by security forces in Baghdad, with dozens more wounded.”

The Hill: Iraqi Intelligence Shared ISIS Leader's Location With US-Led Coalition: Report <[link removed]>

“Iraqi intelligence gave ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's location to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the terror group ahead of a raid in which he is believed to have died, an official told Reuters. An Iraqi intelligence official told the news service that agents discovered documents at a secret location in the western deserts of Iraq that identified Baghdadi’s location after arresting an Iraqi man and woman believed to be close to the ISIS leader. “We have been constantly coordinating with the CIA, providing valuable information that the Iraqi National Intelligence Service has on Baghdadi’s movements and place of hiding,” the official said. “This cooperation was successful and achieved the ultimate goal of killing Baghdadi.” Baghdadi’s death in Syria has yet to be officially confirmed, but President Trump is scheduled to make a “major statement” Sunday morning. His death has been reported by Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian sources. A militant commander in Idlib Province on the Turkish border in Syria said the ISIS leader was believed killed in the raid in the village of Barisha, according to Reuters.”

Afghanistan

Al Jazeera: Afghan, US Forces Kill Over 80 Taliban Fighters, Officials Say <[link removed]>

“More than 80 Taliban fighters have been killed in air raids by Afghan and US forces in Afghanistan's Kandahar and Faryab provinces in the past 24 hours, officials said. Abdul Kareem, the police chief in the northern Faryab province, said on Sunday that a group of Taliban fighters carried out an assault on security checkpoints in the Pashtunkot district on Saturday night and were targeted by air raids by the Afghan Air Force. He told Anadolu Agency that at least 53 Taliban fighters were killed and 11 wounded. In the southern Kandahar province, US forces conducted air raids in Maruf and Shah Wali Kot districts, killin 33 Taliban fighters and injuring eight others, a statement by the provincial police headquarters said. The Taliban. meanwhile, claimed to have hit a US convoy in Kandahar in an improvised explosive device attack. Qari Yosuf, the group's spokesman, said an armoured vehicle was completely destroyed and all on board were killed. The US forces in Afghanistan have not commented on the incident. The Taliban now controls nearly half of Afghanistan and have been relentless in their near-daily attacks targeting Afghan security forces, attacks that often inflict heavy casualties.”

Voice Of America: US Peace Envoy Makes First Afghan Visit After Trump Ended Taliban Talks <[link removed]>

“The U.S. chief peace negotiator for Afghanistan met leaders in Kabul Sunday after arriving in the country on an unannounced visit, his first since President Donald Trump halted talks with Taliban insurgents on ending the Afghan war. Officials said Zalmay Khalilzad was accompanied among others by Lisa Curtis, senior director for South and Central Asia at the U.S. National Security Council. The visit came on a day when the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) set November 14 as the new day for releasing preliminary results from the September 28 controversy-marred presidential polls. The commission was originally scheduled to announce the first results on October 19 but missed the deadline, citing technical problems and efforts to protect the transparency of the process. Officials said Khalilzad held separate meetings with incumbent President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, the two front-runners in the last month's presidential election. An Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told reporters “U.S. peace envoy Khalilzad met with President Ghani and briefed him about recent developments.” He did not  elaborate further. Renewed international diplomatic efforts in recent days have raised hopes the stalled U.S.-Taliban talks may resume soon.”

Xinhua: Terrorist Attack Planer Killed In Eastern Afghan Province: Military <[link removed]>

“The Afghan security forces launched a spate of airstrikes in eastern Logar province, killing one of the key elements behind numerous deadly attacks, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Saturday. “Qari Burhan, one of the most dangerous and key Haqqani Network commanders and scores of his colleagues, including foreign affiliates were killed, following an Afghan warplanes' bombing in Mohammad Agha district's Zarghun Shahr village of Logar on Friday,” the ministry said in a statement. Qari Burhan had been leading one of the most dangerous terrorist networks that curried out a plenty of deadly attacks in the capital Kabul and Logar, the statement added. Qari Burhan was also behind a deadly car-bomb attack that killed as many as 103 people and wounded over 235 others near Jamhuriat Hospital in 2017, according to the statement. “The man was also blamed for using a high-rise building at Abdul Haq Square in 2011, launching a vehicle born improvised explosive attack in Shah Shaheed area of Kabul city in 2015 that injured nearly 400 people as well as attack on Alburz Township and tens of similar large and deadly incidents, resulting in the death and injury of hundreds of civilians in the capital,” said the statement.”

Xinhua: Taliban Key Commander Among 5 Killed In Afghan District <[link removed]>

“A Taliban key commander Mullah Yasin was among five militants who have been killed in Khan Abad district of northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province, said an army spokesman Abdul Ghafar Nuristani on Sunday. Units of special forces, according to the official, launched operations in parts of the restive district late on Saturday, killing the five armed insurgents. Death of notorious Mullah Yasin, said the official, was a major blow to the Taliban militants in Kunduz province. According to Nuristani, security forces have also liberated several villages from the clutches of militants in the wake of Mullah Yasin's elimination in the troubled district. Taliban militants who are active in parts of Kunduz province haven't commented.”

Yemen

Xinhua: Gunmen Blow Up Oil Pipeline In Southeastern Yemen <[link removed]>

“Unidentified gunmen early on Sunday blew up a pipeline for transporting crude oil to an exporting port in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa, a government official told Xinhua. The explosion, which occurred for the second time in less than a month, targeted the crude oil pipeline in Rawdah district in the east of Shabwa, the local government official said on condition of anonymity. Earlier this month, a similar attack targeted the same pipeline which is occasionally detonated by gunmen linked to the al-Qaida terrorist group or anti-government tribesmen. Late last year, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government resumed exporting operations of oil from fields in Shabwa following years of unrest that forced oil companies in the province to stop their operations. No groups have so far claimed responsibility for the pipeline blast, but previous similar attacks in the region were claimed by al-Qaida militants. Shabwa boasts five sectors of crude oil production, which produce about 15,000 barrels per day. The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State militants are active in the mountainous areas in the provinces of Shabwa and neighboring Abyan, carrying out sporadic attacks against government forces.”

Lebanon

CNN: Protesters In Lebanon Formed A Human Chain Across The Entire Country <[link removed]>

“Protesters across Lebanon joined hands on Sunday to form a human chain that connected the country's north and south, a symbolic display of national unity during a period of political turmoil. Nearly 170,000 people joined the chain, which ran from Akkar to Sidon, said Dr. Sally Hammoud, an event organizer. "It was a symbol to show the world that we all are united and nothing can break us, and most importantly, we are peaceful," she told CNN. The chain spanned 105 miles (170 km), cutting through Beirut, Tripoli, Dbayeh and other cities along the Lebanese coast. Many participants draped themselves in the Lebanese flag and sang the national anthem.”

Al Jazeera: Lebanon Protests: 'Difficult, Delicate' Situation For Hezbollah <[link removed]>

“The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is in a “difficult and delicate” situation as protests continue to paralyse Lebanon for the second week, analysts say. The rising cost of living, alleged corruption by officials and high unemployment have reached a peak, Lebanese protesters say, demanding the resignation of all political leaders and an end to the sectarian system of governance. Protests began on October 17, following the government's plans to impose new taxes on tobacco, petrol and WhatsApp calls, as public anger spilled on to the streets. The government hurriedly reversed its tax proposals but it was too late to stop the protesters from coming out on the streets in opposition to new taxes being imposed while Lebanon was in the midst of economic crisis. Chants of “all of them means all” and “the people demand the fall of the regime,” were heard on the streets. Analysts remarked on the fact that these protests were seen across the country for the first time - spreading to the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Lebanon, seen as the most powerful force in the country. While protesters voiced their anger against the government,  Amal Saad, political science professor at the Lebanese University, told Al Jazeera the Lebanese in Shia-majority areas have also been criticising Hezbollah for not doing enough to confront the government.”

Middle East

The New York Times: The World Is Fighting More Than ISIS <[link removed]>

“The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, is profoundly important. He was a powerfully inspirational figure, more formidable and perhaps more evil than Osama bin Laden. He was an Islamic scholar who claimed to be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He built on the apocalyptic ideology and extraordinary cruelty of his mentor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq (the predecessor organization to ISIS). Importantly, Mr. al-Baghdadi managed to recruit former Iraqi Baathist military and intelligence personnel, hugely strengthening his capacity for insurgency. And he took advantage of Syria’s civil war to create a first in the history of modern terrorism: a proto-state able to seize and control territory, amass possibly billions of dollars and organize a major military force.”

The Wall Street Journal: The Lessons Of Baghdadi <[link removed]>

“The death on the weekend of Islamic State leader  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at the hands of American special forces won’t end the danger from radical Islam. But it is an important victory for America’s antiterror strategy with lessons for the future. “He was a sick and depraved man, and now he’s gone,” President Trump said at the White House Sunday morning. Mr. Trump said U.S. forces had monitored Baghdadi for “a couple of weeks” and planned the nighttime raid that chased the terrorist into a tunnel near Idlib in northwestern Syria, where the jihadist detonated a suicide vest. No Americans were killed in what Mr. Trump called a “dangerous and daring” operation. He deserves credit for approving a raid that inevitably carries risks of failure and casualties. The death of Baghdadi is important as a matter of simple justice given his murderous history. And it informs other jihadists that they can achieve no victory and are likewise doomed to die in a tunnel or bomb blast.”

The New York Times: Leader’s Death Will Damage ISIS, But Not Destroy It <[link removed]>

“He had been hunted for more than a decade, and the organization he had built was designed partly on the assumption this day would come. The violent death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, in a raid by United States forces announced Sunday by President Trump, is a significant blow to the world’s most fearsome terrorist group. But analysts said it was unlikely to freeze attempts by Islamic State franchises and sympathizers around the world to sow mayhem and fear in the name of their extremist ideology.”

The Jerusalem Post: Gaza Terrorist Groups Raise Alert Level Amid Fears Of Israeli Operations <[link removed]>

“Terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip have raised their alert level due to fears of Israeli operations against them, said a source in the groups to the Lebanese, Hezbollah-affiliated Al Akhbar newspaper. One of the reasons for raising the alert level was an increase in the intensity of reconnaissance flights over Gaza and the presence of manned spy planes at high altitudes over the area.The terrorist groups fear that Israel may break the calm by carrying out indirect assassinations of terrorist leaders or by destroying military facilities. On Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned that “on both the northern and southern fronts, the situation is tense and fragile, and could deteriorate into a confrontation.”

Egypt

Asharq Al-Awsat: Egypt Condemns Turkish Aggression On Syria, Qatar Defends It <[link removed]>

“Egypt on Sunday reiterated its condemnation of the Turkish aggression in northeast Syria, a position it expressed during the preparatory meetings of the 18th summit of Non-Aligned Movement in Azerbaijan's capital Baku held from October 25-26. Citing the Egyptian delegation, the state’s MENA agency said that Cairo also voiced its rejection to give Turkey the opportunity to speak at the summit of the 120-member group. In light of the recent offensive in northeastern Syria and other relevant attacks, the Egyptian delegation called the Turkish aggression a "violation of the sovereignty of a member state of the Non-Aligned Movement, and a violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the rules of international law.” It added that such crimes require strong condemnation by the movement and international community.”

The Arab Weekly: Egypt Looks To Strengthen Anti-Terrorism Laws, Speed Up Trials <[link removed]>

“The Egyptian parliament has formed a new counterterrorism committee to revise national legislation and allow for a more effective strategy to deal with terrorists. The committee, legislators said, would propose amendments to current laws to give law-enforcement agencies additional powers in the fight against terrorism and speed up trials of suspects charged with terrorist attacks. “We are badly in need of a revision of our legislation so it can be up to the challenges we are facing and expect to face in the coming period,” said Kamal Amer, a former military intelligence general who is chairman of parliament’s Defence and National Security Committee. “Massive funding is being made to terrorist organisations and this needs effective mechanisms to fight it.” Egypt has seen a wave of extremism and terrorist attacks spearheaded by militias affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood. A branch of the Islamic State (ISIS) is present in Sinai. Terrorist attacks since 2011 have claimed the lives of hundreds of policemen and army troops and have affected the Egyptian economy, especially the tourism sector, which collapsed in 2015 after the bombing of a Russian passenger plane over Sinai.”

Libya

The Libya Observer: US AFRICOM Says It Eliminated 25% Of ISIS Militants In Libya <[link removed]>

“US Africa Command Director of Public Affairs Colonel Chris Karns said four airstrikes this year had killed 25% of the ISIS terrorists remaining in Libya, “where ISIS forces had been gathering in camps and recruiting new fighters.” In an interview with Voice of America, Karns said the US wanted to make sure that threat did not grow, adding that the US would continue to monitor the situation to prevent Libya from becoming a safe haven for terrorists. “Since US forces were relocated in April, we’ve continued to watch and monitor the situation in Libya. Our concern was that with the civil war, these terrorist groups, in particular ISIS, would look to leverage this opportunity to grow, to recruit, to train and create additional chaos in a situation that is already chaotic.” Karns explained. He indicated that when the opportunity presented itself — and this was through careful observation by US forces — there were instances where US forces saw a regeneration of the ISIS capability as they were gathering in camps, where they were doing some of the basic training and starting to do some of the recruiting. “So we wanted to make sure that threat did not grow. And consequently, airstrikes were conducted. Four this year.” He remarked.”

France 24: Migrant Rescue Ship 'Threatened' By Libya Militants: NGO <[link removed]>

“A German NGO said one of its vessels was threatened Saturday by a boat carrying Libyan militants who fired warning shots as it rescued 90 migrants in the Mediterranean. “We are in shock: we have never been threatened in this way!” Sea-Eye spokesman Gorden Isler told AFP, charging that European Union countries were allowing this “brutal behaviour.” “We were able to get 90 people on board, including two women,” Isler said. After receiving a distress call off the coast of Libya, the crew on the NGO's Alan Kurdi ship located their boat and rescued the migrants. “While we had already been able to recover 10 people on board, our boat was surrounded by three speedboats with masked and heavily armed people aboard,” Isler said. The militants fired shots into the air and water, where several migrants had fallen in, Sea-Eye said. The boats with the armed men was flying a Libyan flag. The NGO said it believed its vessel was not in Libyan waters, adding that it was now headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa with the migrants on board. Saturday's incident comes a week after 104 people were rescued just off the coast of Libya by the Ocean Viking Ship, run by NGOs SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders.”

Nigeria

Premium Times Nigeria: Renewed Boko Haram Attacks Displaced 140,000 Persons In 2019 – UN <[link removed]>

“At least 140,000 persons have been displaced by the resurgence of Boko Haram activity this year in Borno State, the United Nations Undersecretary-General, Mark Lowcock, has said. Mr Lowcock, who coordinates UN’s Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, visited Nigeria this week on an official visit that took him to Maiduguri, the base of Boko Haram insurgency, from where he carried out an assessment of the situation in the North-east. He spoke via a statement issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA). Mr Lowcock recognised the efforts Nigerian authorities and other bodies have made “between 2016 and 2018″, to regain control of areas previously ravaged by the insurgents,” that assisted more than two million displaced people to return home. “But renewed violence, most of it perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents, has sparked an upsurge in forced displacement in Borno, with more than 140,000 people forced to move this year alone,” he said. “Many farmers have missed multiple planting seasons and more than three million people are food insecure.” He said he had “over the past year” have “watched with growing concern the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Borno.”

Long War Journal: Al Qaeda-Linked Group Reappears In Nigeria <[link removed]>

“Following several years of inactivity, the al Qaeda-linked Jamaat al Ansar al Muslimeen fi Bilad al Sudan, better known as Ansaru, has reappeared online. A new photo of the group was released today by the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), a clearinghouse for propaganda of al Qaeda’s global network. GIMF also announced a new media outlet for Ansaru, Al Yaqut Media Center. A Telegram channel ostensibly ran by members of Ansaru also reposted the photo, giving further credence to the veracity of the picture. The photo details three members of Ansaru, presumably in northern Nigeria, and features a famous Hadith [saying of the Prophet Muhammad] about the importance of ribat [frontline fortifications in the defense of Islam]. The same photo above was also released in Arabic and Hausa. While the photo itself offers little information, the release and creation of a new media outlet is meant to demonstrate Ansaru’s continued existence and presence inside Nigeria. This attempted resurgence has been hinted at in al Qaeda’s propaganda in the past. For instance, in 2017, Al Risalah Magazine, a former publication released by al Qaeda-linked jihadists in Syria, released an article penned by Usama al Ansari.”

Somalia

Standard Digital: Somalia Authorities Hand Over Two Al-Shabaab Suspects To Kenyan Police <[link removed]>

“Kenya police are holding two men believed to be members of the Al-Shabaab terror group after they were handed over by Somalia police. According to police, they are believed to have fled to Somalia after committing a crime in the region and especially near Liboi border. They have been linked to the deadly October 12 attack in Liboi where 11 General Service Unit personnel were killed. When they were handed over to Kenya on Wednesday, one of them had an AK47 rifle belonging to Kenya police. North Eastern Police Commander Mr Paul Soi said the suspects are under interrogation before further action is taken on them. “We will tell you more,” he said. Those handed over were identified as Farah Ahmed Sanbul alias Faragon and Mihat Daar Khalif and they had an AK47 rifle belonging to Kenya Police which had 30 bullets, another AK47 rifle belonging to Somalia with five magazines and 117 bullets, another AK47 rifle with four bullets and a pistol which had five magazines with 40 bullets. This comes days after police identified Abdullahi Banati, as the man who led the team that planted the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) leading to the death of the officers stationed at the Harhar GSU camp on October 12, 2019.”

United Kingdom

Daily Mail: Kenyan Terrorist Who Was Jailed Over Jihad Manual And Admitted He Has 'Extremist Mindset' Wins Asylum Bid To Stay In UK As A Refugee <[link removed]>

“A foreign criminal convicted of a terrorism offence in Britain has used refugee laws to overturn the Government’s bid to deport him, it can be revealed. The Kenyan man is now free to apply to permanently stay in Britain despite admitting to having ‘an extremist mindset’, court papers show. In one of the first cases of its kind, he successfully argued his rights as a refugee outweighed the risk he poses to the UK in a judgment that has just been made public. The man, who can only be identified by the initials NF, claimed he would be subject to ‘ill treatment’ if sent to Kenya. He was caught at Heathrow in 2011 returning from the east African nation with a huge haul of terrorist material stored on an iPod.  Court papers reveal this included audio files said to be made by Al Qaeda and images of armed persons with flags associated with Al Shabaab, a linked terror group.  Detectives later found more materials at his home. In 2013, NF was given a nine-month jail sentence for ‘possessing information useful to terrorism’. In one of the first cases of its kind, he successfully argued his rights as a refugee outweighed the risk he poses to the UK in a judgment that has just been made public.”

Germany 

The New York Times: Election In Germany Helps Far Right Tighten Its Grip In The East <[link removed]>

“The far-right Alternative for Germany party on Sunday celebrated a strong showing in the former Communist East, more than doubling its support in a state election held two weeks after an attack on a synagogue that some tied to the party’s use of hateful language. The party won 23.5 percent of the vote in Thuringia, according to preliminary returns, up from 10.6 percent in 2014. That left it in second place, behind the Left Party but ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives. The party, known by its German initials AfD, has no hope of governing, since all the other parties have ruled out cooperating with it. But its strong showing is likely to reverberate in other ways. The election outcome could further strengthen the power of Björn Höcke, the party’s leader in Thuringia and its most notorious figure.”

The New York Times: ‘Hitler Or Höcke?’ Germany’s Far-Right Party Radicalizes <[link removed]>

“It was a stunt but it was revealing. Lawmakers of the far-right Alternative for Germany were read quotations and then asked: Were these penned by Björn Höcke, the party’s most notorious far-right firebrand — or by Hitler? “I can’t tell,” one said. “I really don’t know,” another replied. “More likely ‘Mein Kampf,’” a third guessed. All extracts were, in fact, from Mr. Höcke’s book, describing, for example, a “longing of the German people for a historical figure who will heal the wounds in the Volk, overcome division and bring back order.” Mr. Höcke, a history teacher turned far-right ideologue, runs the Alternative for Germany in the state of Thuringia, where the party is set to double its share of the vote to more than 20 percent in elections on Sunday, further cementing its position as a leading political force in the former Communist East. Thuringia may be one of the smallest states in Germany, but Mr. Höcke’s national notoriety and unapologetically provocative language, packed with echoes from the 1930s, have given the poll an outsize importance. How the Alternative for Germany, known by its German abbreviation AfD, fares in Thuringia will also help determine the sway that Mr. Höcke and his ideology will hold in the party — and its future direction, analysts say.”

Europe

The Times: Isis Martyrs ‘Radicalised As Medical Students In Galway’ <[link removed]>

“Two Galway-based medical students died after joining Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria, it has emerged. Both studied at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and are believed to have become radicalised while in the city. Mustapha al-Hayani, a graduate of NUIG’s medical programme, and Tariq Mohainuteen, a visiting Malaysian student, travelled on the same bus from Galway to Dublin on their way to join the jihadist group Isis in September 2013. However, the students, who were both members of NUIG’s Muslim Youth Society, fought on different fronts for the jihadists. Mohainuteen, who arrived in Ireland in 2011 and was in his second year of medical studies at the time of his departure, travelled from Dublin to Turkey, where he crossed the border into Syria.…”



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The Counter Extremism Project - United States
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